Taking a Leap
by MissScarlettJ
Summary: This is my gift to you, Perseus and Theseus Jackson. You will be opposites, but fit together like a puzzle. You will be the same, but never as identical as you appear. And you will know each other like you know yourself, for your twin is the only one you can truly trust. Self-Insert OC! Twin fic!
1. I can jump that far

**Summary-"**This is my gift to you, Perseus and Theseus Jackson. You will be opposites but fit together like a puzzle. You will be the same, but never as identical as you appear. You will know each other like you only know yourself, for your twin is the only one you can truly trust"

**Warnings-**Self-insert OC! Twin-fic! Might turn out to be slash!

* * *

Most likely future slash! Insert OC!The big dog definitely didn't look as threatening as it turned out to be, in fact, it looked nice and friendly. Alas, it wasn't. I know, I know! Death by a dog isn't nearly as cool as being killed by a rogue gunman, or as exciting as sacrificing yourself for someone you love. But it was my death, and it wasn't nearly as boring as I expected it to be.

The afterlife was weird from the start. It was a waiting room full of ghosts and all of them just wandered around like it was perfectly normal. Not me. I was the odd one out that stomped up to the guy behind the security desk and demanded an explanation. That didn't end too well.

After the encounter that ended with me being threaten with eternal punishment I decided to just go with the crowds and wander around the waiting room aimlessly.

There was no pass of time when you're dead. So I sat pondering the life I left behind until was my turned to ride the death elevator. Halfway down it transformed into a golden ferry, but I was too numb to even feel the surprise I should have. It floated on a river, and brought us to a three-headed dog and I couldn't really seem to find this unusual. I had the strongest urge that overrode my curiosity to just follow obediently in line like the others.

Eventually, I found myself facing the attendants of the "Attendants on Duty" line.

My memories passed in front of me quickly in no particular order. Every once in a while, one would play at normal speed. Like the time I climbed up a fifty foot tree to save my little sister's kitten, or when I beat up a guy for cheating on my sister or that time I jumped from a house roof into a pool and broke my leg or the time I helped a girl from being mugged and refused to take any sort of payment from her. The judges would murmur things like Elysium or Asphodel. But it wasn't until the memory of me saving my 6-year-old sister from a fire when I was 15 was brought up that they made a decision.

"Elysium." All three stated at once.

I just cocked my head to one side but didn't speak up. What did that mean? It sounded familiar, but my foggy mind couldn't place it.

"Tell us, child." The one on the far left spoke. "Would you like to live in paradise for eternity or try three more times to get ultimate utopia?"

Hmm, that was a hard one. Paradise sounds nice and easy, but easy usually meant boring. So maybe I could have a go around a few more times and get utopia. I found my voice for the first time in ages and told the judges what wanted.

They nodded and the middle one waved his hand beckoning a figure out of the shadows. "Jefferson will lead you to the river of Lethe."

Jefferson was a man you might expect to be in a horror movie. His from was not solid and you could see straight through him. His face had no expression and he walked without a noise. He led me away from the judge and back a different way than I came. We walked for a while, at least, I assumed it was a while until we reached a river that appeared to be made out of milk.

"This is the river Lethe," he stated, gesturing to the river behind him. "You will need to walk through this, to get to the gateway that will give you rebirth."

I looked at the river and found myself hesitant. It was only about five feet across but on either side it widened and in the distance I could see a section almost twenty feet wide. On the other side of the river was a faint glow, like one of those portals in TV shows, surrounded by a stone archway.

"Why do I have to cross the river?" I asked. "Why not just make another boat?"

Jefferson looked affronted at my voice and I found myself expecting him to tell me being asked questions wasn't in his contract.

"Lethe will wash away your memories of this life to make way for your next one," He said.

Wash away my memories? I found myself, for the first time since I died, caring what was going to happen next. I couldn't forget my sisters, they were all I had.

"But then how will I remember to be good so I get utopia?"I tired.

Jefferson looked at me like I was insulting him in some way by not walking through the milk. "You shouldn't do noble deeds for the purpose of getting rewards. You should do the deeds because it is the right thing to do."

I scrunched my face up at him.

"You must walk through Lethe to get to the gateway," Jefferson stated. Giving me a look like he knew exactly what was running through my mind.

I stared at the opposite shore and thought through my next action.

"I can jump that far," I said.

Jefferson gave me an alarmed look, reaching out to grab me. But it was too late. I ran up to the side of the river and pushed myself off of the ground in a mighty leap. I landed on the other side, teetering on the edge, before dancing into my balance.

"Guards!" Jefferson screeched from the opposite shore.

But I was already in the gate by the time the skeleton soldiers gathered around Jefferson.

The first while of my babyhood was just a blur, literally. And compared to all endless passage of time of the dead, life was wonderful. Sure being a baby was annoying and downright mortifying, but I had a good mother, a twin to call my own, and a comfy crib. What more could an infant ask for?

I also had a lot of time to think about the mysteries of the afterlife. I figured that I must have been in Hades, given the ferry ride, the three-headed dog, and the three judges. Plus now that the fog of death was off of my brain, I made the connection to why Elysium and Asphodel sounded so familiar. I knew them from the Percy Jackson books I read in my past life. And when I out more of my life as time passed, a theory pushed it's way into my mind.

This theory only cemented further when I learned that my twin brother's name was Perseus, and mine, well mine was Theseus. Yep, that right Perseus, and Theseus. You couldn't really get more twin-like then that.

It didn't help that mom started to call Perseus, Percy and me, Theo. But my theory wasn't completely proven until the night my new father came to visit.

It started as another normal night. Mom tucked us into our shared cradle and kissed us both on the forehead before heading out of the room, turning the lights out as she closed the door.

Percy started to fuss, as usual not fully crying but still complaining. I cooed at him, as I always did, to calm him down and alert him that I was still here even if mom wasn't. He grew silent at the sound and we eventually started to drift off to dreamland together when a light filled the room.

I blinked my eyes as they tried to adjust to the strange blue light. My vision clearing as I finally was able to make out the figure of the man staring down at us.

"Hello, my sons." He whispered down at us, eyes a startling green. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit you."

Poseidon reached his hand into the green crib and let Percy and I grab onto his rough fingers, a reminiscent smile spreading under his beard.

"Perseus, Theseus, your lives will be harsh and unforgiving, and I am sorry for dooming you to such a life. But know that you two are blessed as well as damned. For you have each other and you will always have each other. In some ways, this will feel like a burden, but in truth, it is your greatest strength. You two will have something that most others in this world search for but never find, you have someone you can trust with anything and everything. Someone that you trust with your life. So stay close to each other, watch out for one another, and never take your twin for granted. They may end up being all you have." He slowly retracted his hand. "This is my gift to you, Perseus and Theseus Jackson. You will be opposites but fit together like a puzzle. You will be the same, but never as identical as you appear. You will know each other like you know yourself, for your twin is the only one you can truly trust."

Percy and I laughed in perfect allusion as a pleasant feeling passed through our bodies. We reached up, smiling at our father as the feeling seeped out of us leaving a new sensation behind. Like a string attaching our souls and binding it as one.

Poseidon faded away, taking his light with him and leaving only the smell of the ocean behind. In the very second that he disappeared mom walked in and turned the light on. She looked around as if expecting to find someone when her eyes landed on us she visibly relaxed.

"I thought I heard something," She told us, smiling as she backed out of the room, turning the light off once again. "Sleep tight my beautiful children."

Age two

The bond was a strange thing. It was like me and Percy had been turned into conjoined twins, not literally we still had a separate body, but I could always feel him like he was part of my body.

I couldn't tell what he was thinking, I just had a general sense of him. Where he was in relation to me, what he kind of mood he was in, and how tired/hungry/in pain his was.

It was weird, and at first, I couldn't tell where he ended and I began, it was like we were in one body. But after a few months, more like a year, I got used to it. Sadly this was about the time Mom's savings ran out and she had to start working again.

Percy and I sat on the carpeted floor playing with our toys as mom rushed in a flurry around the house to get ready for her new job.

This would be the first time she left us alone with a stranger and frankly I was skeptical. I mean what if Mrs. Heath- the next-door neighbor that was going to babysit us- turned out to be a monster that wanted to eat us?

I chewed on the rubber ring thoughtfully while I watched mom put makeup on in the hallway mirror.

Would a monster sense the bond that Poseidon gave me and Percy?

I doubted it. But still, what would happen if Percy died and I didn't?

The thought scared me more than it ought to, especially since I had only known my twin for two years now. But he was my twin, and after seeing us in the full-length mirror it became clear that he was my identical twin. That was a bond that couldn't be broken, then add that to whatever Poseidon did us with his gift, we were closer than two peas in a pod, and the thought of being left all alone in my pod scared the daylights out of me.

Mom kneeled down, her red white and blue skirt fanning out beside her. "Okay, boys. Momma has to go to work and get us money so that we don't have to move. But because work doesn't allow children you two are going to have to here with Mrs. Heath."

I looked up at her, still chewing on my green plastic ring.

She smiled at us look as if she would rather be doing anything else but leaving us. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two braided string bracelets, like the kind that you would make for a best friend. The blue one she tied around Percy's arm, tight enough not to fall off but loose enough not to hurt, then she did the same thing with a green one on me.

Percy giggled and waved his arm up and down to make the string move while I just stared at it. What was it for?

A knock sounded at the door and mom quickly moved up to answer it. The two women exchanged pleasantries at the entrance before mom lead the old lady into the living room where Percy and I were playing.

"Percy is the one with the blue bracelet." Mom informed Mrs. Heath. "He'll fuss a little bit after you put him down, but after a moment, he'll quiet down."

The wrinkled woman nodded her eyes locked onto my brother. "Is he picky about anything in particular?"

Mom shook her head. "No, neither of them are. As long as their together their happy."

"How 'bout the other one?" The insistent hag continued. "Will he fuss when I put him to a nap?"

"No, actually I'm pretty sure that Theo's the one that calms Percy down."

The scary old woman squinted her eyes at me. "And Theo is the one with the green bracelet?"

"Yep, that's right." Mom looked in the hallway mirror and put her big hoop earrings in that completed her fluffy, girly outfit. She glanced her watch and got a familiar look of stress on her face. "I'm running late."

She bent down and kissed up both on the forehead. "I love you two, be good." And with that, she was out the door and off to work.

Age three

Preschool was stupid. It was full of way too many happy people, wearing too bright clothing and singing too annoying songs that got stuck in my head. I wasn't the only one that thought this. I knew for a fact that Percy got in a bad mood every time Mom dropped us off, and that had nothing to do with the fact that I was in a bad mood. Nothing.

Then one day it just got so much worse.

"Okay, you two." Shelly, the much too happy teacher smiled down at us. "Today I'm going to split up to work in different groups. It will help you make more friends!"

I gave her a blank look. Like she could actually manage to get us apart.

Shelly apparently took my look as an invitation to go with whatever plan she had. She grabbed Percy's wrist in one of those condescending grasps that the teachers used so often, and made a move like she was going to lift Percy to his feet and lead him away. Naturally I couldn't let her do that, so I countered her by grabbing his other wrist.

"Now, Percy. Let me take your brother and you will get your group soon."

My glare deepened and I held up my green bracelet, letting her know that I was not Percy.

She had the audacity to act embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Theo. Please let me get Percy to another group, before giving you one."

Her hand tightened slightly and she gave Percy's arm a light tug, trying to get me to let go. But I didn't relent. She had no right to touch my brother, let alone take him away from me. I copied her movements, only stronger knowing what Percy would deal with the pulling for the moment if it meant we'd stay together.

"Theo." Shelly reprimanded, her ever-present smile starting to turn into a frown. "Let go of your brother or I'll call you mother."

I growled at her like the dog that had killed me. Her threats didn't scare me one bit.

Shelly's grip tightened even more and I felt a slight pain run through Percy. She was hurting my brother! How dare she?!

"Let go," She spoke through a strained smile.

Finally, I graced her with a spoken answer. "Never."

"You can't bite teachers." Mom scolded in the cab home.

I pouted up at her. "She was huwting Percy."

"Oh, honey." She sighed and pulled me to her chest. "You and Percy are very special, but not everyone can see it like I can. So sometimes you just have to give them what they want and deal with it."

I didn't like that. "But she was twying to take him away from me."

"Sometimes being away from you brother is okay." It sounded more like she was trying to convince herself more than me.

I shook my head in answer and buried my head in her candy scented uniform. Percy was asleep next to me and leaning heavily on my shoulder. His soft snores like the lyrics of the lullaby that was Manhattan that lulled me to sleep.

My last waking thought that this was the perfect picture. Me, mom, and Percy, all together and heading home.

* * *

**Question- **Who do you think Theo should end up with?

* * *

**AN-**So did you enjoy the first chapter? Please leave a review and tell me what you think!

Lots of love

Scarlett


	2. More than special

**AN-** Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and for telling me who you think Theo should be with. I'm sorry for taking so long to write this, I just didn't really feel the vibe of the story. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long.

**Disclaimer-** I don't own Percy Jackson or any other things you recognize

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The waves crashed on the beach in gentle, constant movements like a heartbeat. Maybe Poseidon felt calm now that his sons were in his sight, or maybe he had a good day with Amphitrite and their godly son.

Personally, I favored the former. Poseidon might not be my first dad, but he was the only one I had in this life, so I still craved his attention like any other child. My first father hadn't been around much after my mother died giving birth to my youngest sister. Sometimes I expected that we reminded him too much of her. It was just easier foe him to go on business trip after business trip. And since we couldn't afford a nanny, a nine year old me was pretty much forced to raise a newborn and a three year old.

At least in this life I had Sally and wasn't left nurturing Percy like I did my sisters. My adorable little sisters who had looked up me, that now continue their lives without me watching over them.

Sighing, I physically shook myself out of the path my thoughts were heading and turned to the family that I was responsible for now.

Percy splashed around in the water like it was his home, and in some ways I suppose it was, but I had yet to go in the water once in all the three summers we had come to Montauk. I hadn't found the courage to face what might happen to me in the water. It was different for Percy, he didn't know he was a demi-god like I did. That made my scent stronger and sea creatures would probably be more drawn to me.

But as Percy waved and called for me to join him, I couldn't bring myself to fear the sea. If anything it would probably be the safest place for me to be.

Assuming that Amphitrite didn't randomly deicide to take a page out of Hera's handbook and kill us both.

* * *

_Age four_

In my old life I loved reading, it was my favorite past time. I would read to my little sisters bedtime stories on the nights our father had to work late, I would read when life got too hard to think about, and I would use reading to go to all the places I could never afford to go. Obviously, one of favorite book series was Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and all the books that came after. Even as I got older and started to grow out of reading to escape from the world around me, Percy Jackson was still my comfort series.

I knew all the facts about demigods, their weaknesses, their disabilities. That's why I was so disappointed in myself for not seeing that this was coming. It was one of the biggest problems in Percy's schooling throughout the books, it was the reason he was a straight D student. I never realized that it would be my reason as well.

But now the evidence was floating in front of me, and all I could think was how disappointed I was in myself for not predicting this outcome. Or maybe I was mad that I had never thought to pick up a book before this and realize sooner. This made everything so much harder in a world where my life would be like pushing a boulder up a mountain.

The book flew from my hand to the other side of the preschool classroom as I threw it in an attempt to make the words stop their flips and turns.

"Theo!" Miss-can't-stop-smiling-but-can-hold-grudge-Shelly, scolded me loudly. "We do not throw books!"

"Then 'ell the le'ers to s'op doing flips." Percy snapped back, surprising me.

I knew he was looking at the book with me, but I had been too absorbed in my own frustration to notice it was being fueled by Percy's.

Shelly bent down, her hands on her knees, and addressed Percy, completely ignoring my existence. "What do mean flips?"

Percy glanced at me, silently asking that I answer for him.

"The letters-"

"I asked_ Percy_!" The blonde snapped, before forcing her smile back on and looking at my twin. "Go on honey."

Percy sent me an uncertain look, but listened to the demon anyway. "The le'ers were floa'ing and doing flips."

"While that's not good." Shelly shook her head sadly, reaching out she pulled Percy to his feet and started to turn away.

Percy dung his feet into the carpeted floor. "I' was happening to Theo 'oo."

"You can't possibly know that. " Shelly gave another tug, but Percy held his ground.

"Then why was he the one to 'hrow da book?"

It was something that she couldn't argue with, but I have to give her some credit. She could have just pulled him along and claimed that Percy was the one to throw the book if anyone asked, but she actually listened to him. Her jaw worked as she grabbed my wrist in a vice like grip, much tighter than Percy's, and stomped towards the Principal's office.

* * *

"I afraid your sons' have dyslexia." The old man told Momma.

Percy didn't understand, he had never heard that word before. But it made Momma look sad so he knew it must be bad. He decided that it must be a bad word, because it made Theo sad too.

"We also tested them for other disabilities and found that they are both ADHD as well."

Momma made a noise that Percy had never heard before, it made Theo's heart hurt so it made Percy's hurt too. He thought that it must be a noise that people made when they were sad. Those words made people sad.

Momma's arm wrapped around Percy, bringing him closer like she did the day Ms. Shelly had found dead snakes in his and Theo's bed at the school. It was a nice thing that Percy liked and knew that Theo did too.

The old man handed something to Momma. "These are pamphlets that will help explain their condition and how to approach it."

Momma nodded and toke the papers in her hand.

"Forgive me." The old man started. "But you don't seem all that surprised."

"Their dad told me this might happen, it runs in his family."

Dad? They didn't have a dad. All they had was Momma. All they needed was Momma.

* * *

_Age five_

Sally knew that her children were special, she was prepared to deal with the ADHD and dyslexia that Poseidon had warned would come with being a demi-god. She had plans for the monsters that would come for her twins, plans that she was exacting at that very moment. And, like all mothers, she felt that her children were above their peers.

But Theo was different. Not because he was a child of the Big Three, or because Sally had a rather large bias, it was more obvious sort of special that other people were starting to notice. He was more mature, more serious, than any four year old should be.

Sally chalked it up to being a demi-god, but in her head she couldn't help but wonder if it was something bigger. This made her worry that this- this s_pecialty_ would make her youngest son an even bigger target than he already was.

That's why she had to do this. For her sons, her babies. It wouldn't be a permanent solution, Chiron had warned her of that, but she would take anything if it meant even the smallest of protections for Percy and Theo.

Even if was just a band aid on a gaping wound.

Poseidon would tell her to take them to camp, he had told her it was the safest place for them after all. Nonetheless, she was selfish. She wanted her twins to stay by her side as long as they could. It would be better for them to live a normal life by her side. Or maybe she was trying to reassure herself that she was doing the right thing by marrying this man instead of sending her children to a place where they would be safe, happy, and with others like themselves.

She couldn't though. She couldn't send Percy and Theo away like that. It was too much to even think about leaving her children for so long.

_If this doesn't work_, Sally reasoned with herself; staring at the simple white dress that graced her form, _then I'll send them away._

With that final thought she gather up her courage and walked out of the dressing room, preparing to marry what very well might be the smelliest man in the world.

* * *

This wasn't supposed to be Hermes job description, sure he was known to lead the _occasional _soul to the afterlife. But that didn't mean that he had to track down wayward souls that skipped the forgetting part of being reborn. It would make more sense for Thantos or one of the other minions that filled the underworld.

But when Hades had come ranting about idiot boys who didn't appreciate the gift of reincarnation, Zeus had immediately assigned the task of finding the imbecile to Hermes. Like it was his job to hunt down disobedient souls.

It wasn't. He was a messenger, a traveler, and a thief, but that didn't mean he was a free to go on random escapades to find a soul that could literally be any person born between August 10th and September 5th. He was already getting behind in deliveries and Iris couldn't keep up with his packages forever, especially since she started her vegan goods shop, or whatever it was.

It was getting ridiculous, he had been searching for five years now and he hadn't made any progress. Every child that he had checked out had been very obviously not an adult in a child's body.

Not that having searched for five years gave him any desire for _this_ kid to be the one he was searching for. He hadn't even gotten to the boy and Hermes could already tell he was a demi-god, and a powerful one at that.

Hermes had no desire to deal with an angry godly parent after Hades killed the kid, and they were surely take it out on him since Hades was untouchable to any but his brothers. And as powerful as the boy was he doubted that he was a child of Big Three. After all not even Zeus could fall off the wagon three times in a decade, Hades hadn't even _looked_ at a mortal since the last one died, and Poseidon . . . well Poseidon was too noble to succumb so soon.

But with the power these twins were radiating he was starting to doubt his father and uncles. He would just have to watch him for a little bit longer to be certain before acting.

* * *

I don't know if it was being a demi-god, or simply because I have lived long enough to tell, but I was sure something was following me.

I just hoped it wasn't a monster. That would already make the sketchy plan of Mom marrying Gabe null and void. It would mean that we were living with that slob, no good gambling addict for nothing.

Ever since Mom married Smelly Gabe, I had been dreading coming home after school, and I knew Percy was too. That was saying something, given that school was like torture for us. Not only were there words everywhere that we were expected to read, but we were also forced to sit still through seven hours of more smiling teachers. It was a wonder that we hadn't been expelled yet, and it was only January. It was a bit shocking, I mean I had known that we would have trouble with other children and just school in general, but I hadn't realized it would be at this level.

At the beginning of the year some boy had called me an idiot, saying that I must be stupid not to be able to read the simple sentence that the teacher had told me to. I had expected comments of that nature, I just hadn't expected Percy's response to them.

We both had been suspended for a week, Percy for beating the boy to a pulp, me for joining him when the other boy actually landed a punch on my twin. The rest of the year followed in a similar pattern.

I had this idea, before I started Kindergarten that I would have to dull down my smarts in order not to gain unwanted attention for being a genius. I was right on some level, for I knew all the answers, but the moment a paper assignment was handed out I was lost.

The word and letter would float off the page, doing one eighties and giving me a headache that could kill a rhino.

I knew it was same for Percy. Not because he told me per say, but because I could feel his mood change the moment the paper was set in front of us. It was the greatest challenge I had ever faced, and I climbed St. Helen.

But I still got the better report card in the end. Not that I really expected anything different. After all, as long as I could figure out what the words said, I could answer the question. Not that I got any A's, or even any B's; I was the straight C student while Percy was a straight D one.

Smelly Gabe made fun of us for it, saying that it was no wonder we so stupid since we were so bad at everything else. Like he had any talents besides not getting bedsores from the chair he sat in twenty-four seven.

At least he never laid a hand on Percy or me. Not that he didn't want to, but I had the feeling Mom did something to convince him not to. Not that I was particularly happy about that either, especially with the knowledge that he was going to, if not already, abuse her.

I sighed as I dragged the garbage out from our two room apartment and down towards the trash shoot. I couldn't stand the man much longer. He took over our home with cigarette smoke and beer cans, expect me, Percy, and Mom to clean up after him and his buddies.

The only good thing he had done in the half a year he knew us was starting Mom's obsession with blue food. Sure the flavors that came with blue weren't my favorite in my last life, but how could you not love the taste of your mother's rebellion.

I hesitated outside of the apartment door, Mom wasn't home yet but Percy was. I preferred to be there with Percy while Mom was still at work, in case Gabe tried something. Today, though, my patience was running thin.

The bastard had actually thrown a beer can at me. Well tossed would be a better word for it, but it still made me angry as hell.

"_Clean up this mess Ted." _The son of a bitch had said. As if I had been the one to spew beer and cigarette buds all over the room.

Percy was copying my homework in the room and I didn't want to make it so that he had more missing homework, so I had picked up the living room by myself.

It was almost an hour till the floor was completely clear of trash, and I dreaded walking in. You know, in case Smelly Gabe had more _tasks_ he wanted me to slave away for him.

Something out of the corner of my eye made me turn. Leaning in the corner was a teenager in a tracksuit looking a phone. I took him for a moment, trying to spot what was making me so wary of an innocent looking boy.

Then something moved on his phone.

Just his fingers_. _Something on me tried to convince, but it was wrong and I knew exactly what it was. The voice was the mist, trying and failing to lead me away from whatever this man was.

_Do you think he can see us? _An invisible male voice asked. _It looks like he can see us._

_George!_ A female voice answered. _If he can see us than he can hear us! So shut up!_

Two snakes shimmered into existence on the phone, endlessly circling the each other.

Two snakes twirled together.

George.

A tracksuit.

George and Martha.

Why did I know that, who do they belong to?

Hermes!

The god's eyes flickered up and met mine.

* * *

**Question-** Who's your favorite god and why?

* * *

**AN-** I hope you liked it! If any of you are confused on why Gabe called him Ted than know that it's just because he was being an ass. Gabel isn't going to be sticking around for long, so don't worry to much. If any of you have questions, comments, or obvious mistakes please review!

Also please answer the question above, I love to hear your guys' opinions!

Lots of love

Scarlett


	3. Headlocks are kind of like hugs

When one meets a god, it is normal to have expectations. You may imagine them in a toga, or to have a golden aura. Remember that this is completely normal, and there is no need to panic when they do not match up to how you imagined them. Take their appearance in stride and don't mention your disappointment in the fact they look nothing like the Odyssey promised they would. Also do not blackmail them with your knowledge of the future so they won't turn you over to the king of the dead.

Learn from my mistakes.

Sure it all worked out in my favor for the time being, but I had made an enemy of a god, two if you count Hades. I was a Greek mythology geek in the last life, I knew nothing good came from that. However, waiting for the other divine shoe to drop was exhausting, so I moved on to worrying about less deadly things. Like how I could entertain myself while sitting in a classroom for hours.

So far it wasn't working, and I was getting in more trouble then my brother because of it.

Don't look at me like that. You try being a 22 year old in an 8 year old's body with ADHD. Not only did I know everything the teacher was teaching, I also had to deal with the fact I couldn't have focused on what she was teaching if I wanted to. Idle fingers were always doomed to get themselves into trouble.

Like pranking teachers with paint.

Principle Davis didn't seem to agree.

"This is Theo's fifth offense this year," she said, "We have given him and his twin chance after chance and they continue to disappoint."

"Percy didn't do anything," I argued.

"Maybe not today, but just last week he got in a fight with Jackson Macy. Mr. Macy had to be sent to nurse's for a bloody nose."

Mom sighed next me, still in her uniform from work and leaking the smell of candy into the office. "Is there anything I can do?"

Anything she could do, not what we could do. Always trying to make up for our mistakes.

"I'm afraid this last straw," said Principle Davis, "I have met with the school board and they agree. Theo and Percy will be allowed to finish their second grade year, but your sons' will not be welcome back Reese Elementary next year."

It was the second school we were kicked out of. But Sally was not mad, she was not disappointed. She simply told us the school hadn't been for us. That we knew that now.

The next school was Saint Joesph's military academy for boys. It was the first boarding school we went to and they seemed to thing that we need to make new friends for good influence. Percy was placed in room 192 with a boy named Garrett Northurp and I was put in room 204 with a boy by the name of Matt Jones.

We had no classes together, and Percy was getting more and more irritated by day. A pressure that built up in our gut, added to with every snide comment from Garrett and every time a teacher gave an annoyed look. We weren't even put in the same detentions.

"You need to calm down Percy," I whispered across the table at lunch. "The madder you get the madder I get."

He poked at what looked like mac and cheese on his tray. "I know, I just-" He took a frustrated breath. "I just hate it here."

"I do too," I agreed. "But all we have to do is make it through the year."

His despair was heartbreaking.

Percy made it to November without a punch thrown, I made it to October. I'm not sure why I ever thought I would have more control because I was mentally older. The only difference between me and Percy in this subject was that he would stew over things and I could not hold a grudge to save a life. He would things build up until they boiled over. I let things go after time, but in the moment, I tended to snap.

It's not like the boy hadn't deserved it. Eric Maxwell was as much of a bully as a fifth grader could be. He pushed the smaller boys around when the teachers weren't looking, and did other annoyingly stereotypical things which just made me want to scream.

Now the adult part of me knew he probably bullied people because his dad bullied him. This part of me wanted to hug him and become friends with him to make him a better person. But the other part, the part of me I knew came from Poseidon's infamous temper, wanted to break his nose.

I compromised by slamming his head into a desk and trapping him in a headlock as I hit him repeatedly. Headlocks are kind of like hugs.

I didn't hear a word Headmaster Stevens said, too busy wonder what the difference between a headmaster and a principle was to listen to any of his repetitive lecture. Plus the amusement radiating from Percy was rather distracting. He had enjoyed my show more than I did.

Right before Thanksgiving break Percy gave a boy named Billy Grant a bloody nose and a black eye when he started hitting a second grader for _talking back_. I don't thing it's necessary to point out Billy and Eric were good friends.

Break was a like a breath of fresh air. Or it was until Gabe ate all the turkey with a cigar still hanging out of his mouth. But mom was there and her smile was all we needed not to kill Gabe were he sat. Not that it wasn't still tempting.

"Tell me about school," mom asked the Saturday before we were due to back. We were sitting in Percy and I's room, eating the blue candy she had brought back from her shift. "Do you like it there?"

I could feel Percy burning to tell her how the teachers only paid attention when they were yelling at us. How we never really got to spend any time together, and the time we did have we almost always had to spend in detention. He wanted to rant about all the things he hated about St. Joseph's. But a single feeling of hesitation from me silenced him.

"It's not too bad," I said.

Percy nodded chewing on a blue taffy. "The other kids aren't as bad as Reese's. They mostly leave us alone."

Her proud smile warmed us. Giving Percy a feeling of determination. We talked more about things that didn't matter. For hours we talked, just the three of us, and not once did she bring up the fights. She said nothing about how we needed to bring up our grades. There wasn't a moment her proud smile wavered.

Not for the first time I wished I shared the same bond with her as me and Percy. Her emotions were a mystery I worried about everyday. All I wanted was for her to be happy and safe and far far away from Smelly Gabe.

But for the same reasons I didn't pray, I didn't voice a single complaint about my stepfather. I knew there were things lurking in the shadows waiting to kill us. I had seen them all my life, much more since Hermes.

Gabe was all that was standing in between Mom and Percy and the monsters.

I had already lost one family, I couldn't lose another.

* * *

I was expelled from Saint Joseph's Military Academy in March. With a letter to mom and a stern talking to me, I was told I would not be welcome back for my fourth grade year. It was not a fight, or one to many unmade beds that did me in. It was a simple cuss word aimed at a teacher. It started with b and ended with a itch, and lets just say after what the teacher did, she deserved it.

Percy made it two weeks longer. He might have made it longer, maybe through the entire year. But he had not wish to stay at a school without me and lots of pent up anger at a lot of his classmates.

The summer was kicked off with a trip to Montauk.

The sea was a deep blue and as the sun set it glowed with the light and cast shadows of pink and purple. In the distance a sea turtle broke the surface, so quick a blink would have missed it. To the left a crab crawled its way through the shell of old clams and stones made smooth by the insistent waves upon them. To the right a green piece of sea glass caught the light and reflected like a star. The same color of the string bracelet on my wrist.

In my last life I hated the ocean. Well, maybe hated was a harsh word, more of a strong dislike. The smell always reminded me of rotting sea fish. The salt water always hurt my eyes. Sand got _everywhere_. It was like my own personal hell.

But now, that hell had turned into a wonderful haven. The smell which made me gag before now made me smile. The salt water now relaxed me to the point of wanting to sleep, and I could if I wanted to. I could now breath underwater. But as much as the water relaxed me, it also filled m with energy stronger than any coffee or energy drink I had ever had. The sea was no longer hell, it was home.

Sadly home was a couple hours and a reluctant stepfather away.

The sun had fallen now, drowning into the blackness the sea was turning into with lack of light. Behind me mom called, and I turned to go back to the cabin.

* * *

**AN:** I am sorry this is so short and I'm sorry you had to wait so long for it. I just really have no idea where this is going and I have trouble writing it. Hopefully I'll fix that soon. Now for the subject of what happened with Hermes, you are going to have to wait. All things will be reveled eventually.

**Important! **After I post this chapter I will be changing the name from a Twin's Love is Deeper than the Ocean to Taking a Leap. Simply because it's easier to say and write.

Lots of love

Scarlett

P.S. Would you guys want a poll for the pairing, or do you just want me to figure that out?


End file.
